Tempo
Music drifted out on
to the deck from the ballroom, filling the air with wonderful tunes
that made many of the young hearts gathered flutter. Avyn, in her
tight blue dress that spread slightly at her feet, stood on the deck
just outside, looking up at the night sky. A drink sat forgotten on
the railing beside her. Unbeknownst to her, a man had approached,
wearing garments appropriate to a gathering such as this, but there
seemed to be something off about him. As if he didn't belong, despite
blending in seamlessly with the High crowd.
“Miss
Agoramanthe?” Said the man, his voice like silk.
“Yes?” Replied
Avyn, turning to him and letting a small smile dance across her lips.
“May I have this
dance?” He asked, holding his hand out for her to take.
With a gentle nod,
Avyn took the man's hand and allowed him to lead her back in to the
ballroom. Once inside, he rested his other hand respectfully against
her waist and she brought her other hand up to his shoulder, and they
began a traditional waltz. The music was slow and meandering and
their dancing slowed easily to its pace. After a moment of dancing,
the man quirked the corners of his mouth upwards and leaned in
slightly. “Vyna Agoramanthe....A lovely name. If it belonged to
you.” He said, glancing nonchalantly up at the band that was
playing on the raised platform. Avyn didn't stop dancing, the only
difference she made was to drop her smile slightly. “Don't worry
though. The real Vyna Agoramanthe wouldn't mind, now would she?
Selfless as she was....” The man's quirked lips widened in to a
full on smirk, waiting for the words to sink in. Avyn's smile had
deteriorated completely by now, yet stubbornly she continued to dance
along with this man, despite his jabs that threatened to tear her
facade asunder.
“Her father,
however. He's likely rolling over in-”
“What do you
want?” Avyn interjected sharply, keeping her voice low.
“You.” Said the
man, his smile morphing in to something savage.
“And what do you
want -me- for?” Avyn asked, giving him a look that showed she had
no time for games.
“Why, I need you
to do something for me. That's what I need -you- for.” He said,
bringing a hand up to push a lock of blond hair behind her ear that
had escaped the carefully made bun. Avyn fought down a shudder at the
man's sickly sweet tone, which matched perfectly with the smell of
his cologne.
“Get to the
point....Please.” She said, the last sounding almost like an
afterthought.
“I'd like you to-”
He paused, leaning in to her and pressing his cheek to hers,
breathing the last in to her ear. “-kill someone for me.”
Avyn's stomach
curled. She considered herself a white-collar criminal, someone who
committed victimless crimes. Never leaving any evidence except
perhaps a broken heart and an empty safe. Emptied entirely by the
broken hearted themselves, and given to her through
their.....generosity. There was never a time when she'd had to kill
anyone, and she wasn't about to start if she could help it.
The man's grip on
her hand tightened as he pulled away from her again, bringing her
back to the present. A slight smile flitted across her face before
she spoke. “No thank you. I'm not a killer.”
“Ohhh, but you can
be, can't you? You've got all the skills. Ruthless precision, a fine
figure, cleverness....You could be quite the mankiller, if only you-”
“I said no. I will
not kill for you, nor anyone else.” Avyn said, interrupting him,
thoroughly adamant.
The man's face fell
slightly, and his hand moved from the side of her face to rest on her
neck. They had stopped dancing now, standing in the middle of the
rest of the dancers. Avyn was glad for the lack of motion, despite
the slight spectacle they threatened to become, as the man had slid a
kind of switchblade-like thing out of his sleeve and was holding it
to her neck. With a soft hissing sound like a snake that was
disappointed with it's measly catch, he shook his head. “No no no
no.....See, you don't understand....You don't have a choice in the
matter. You -will- kill who I ask you to, or..” He paused and
leaned in to her until his face was inches from hers, his nose
pressing sideways against hers slightly. The man breathed in, closing
his eyes. As if he had never smelled anything better than the simple
citrus perfume Avyn wore. “...I kill you.”
Those three words
struck a chord on Avyn's internal harp. A somber, wonderful and
terrified chord. It caused her to freeze up completely, her eyes
betraying the depth of the fear that she felt. The man opened his
eyes, smiling delicately at the look on her face. “What do you say,
Avyn?”
---
Two days later Avyn
was stuffed in the back of a transport ship along with
twenty-something other people, all looking for a new start. That was
hardly what she was doing, however. Her trenchcoat felt heavy with
the knife she knew was concealed inside. The man who had hired
her(Who seemed to fancy being nameless.) had given it to her after
their dance, telling her that it was imperative that she used this
knife, and this knife only, to kill her target. The name of her
target he had, thankfully, not withheld. Geo Madiz was a small-time
crime boss on the lesser moon of Andaylia, and had apparently been
causing her employer some trouble recently. He wanted him gone and he
had, for some absurd reason that Avyn couldn't fathom, chosen her to
go after him. She at least hoped this guy had some good tastes in
art, so that she could get -some- profit from this ridiculous farce.
As she hardly thought her employer was going to pay her.
Avyn was pulled from
her thoughts when she felt a pair of eyes on her and she looked about
until she spotted a girl standing three people away from her. The
girl's hair was dark, but her green eyes that were flecked with
yellow seemed to glow even in the dim light. Her stare was
penetrating, and she almost looked like she was sizing Avyn up. Avyn
pretended as if she hadn't seen the girl, letting her eyes slide over
the rest of the people in the cargo bay of the transport in a way
that suggested she was just looking around idly. Eventually, the girl
approached Avyn and looked up at her, as she was at least two inches
shorter than Avyn was. Though Avyn was considered taller than
average, the girl still seemed dwarfed by her, despite the determined
look on her face.
“Hello.” The
girl began, her voice soft and her gaze earnest.
“Hi there.” Avyn
replied, narrowly keeping the condescension she reserved for people
who had wronged her out of her voice. Her employer was still on her
mind.
“Are you a bounty
hunter?” Asked the girl, her voice dropping a level on the volume
ladder.
Caught off guard,
Avyn stammered slightly. “Uh...No. No! Of course not! ….Why would
you say that?”
“The knife under
your clothes. It's very specialized.” She said matter-of-factly
with a glance to the place where the knife lay, cold against Avyn's
hand as she clutched at it inadvertantly.
“I...Well, you
certainly seem to know more weapons than any old kid. What's your
name?” Avyn asked, changing the topic as quickly as she could from
her impending task.
“Kovete Nimhara.
And I may be younger than you, but I'm not a kid.” Kovete stated
firmly, her eyes flashing.
“Right. I
apologize. Where are you headed then, Miss Nimhara?”
“Andaylia. I plan
to start a business there.”
“Really? What kind
of business?”
“The kind where
it's all rather....Confidential.” Avyn could have sworn she saw
Kovete wink at her, but she couldn't be sure.
“Uh-huh...” Avyn
said, furrowing her brow slightly as she looked at Kovete.
“Have a nice time
in transit.” Kovete said, waving a hand as she turned to walk away,
back to her place against the wall.
Bewildered, Avyn
settled back in to her own place against a different wall, yawning
wide as she felt overwhelmed all of a sudden. Absentmindedly, she
rubbed at the tracker concealed as a bracelet that her employer had
given her along with the knife. “If you don't do as I ask, this
beauty will have you on the floor writhing in less than a second.”
Frankly, Avyn hadn't wanted to ask him how he would know, and she
certainly wasn't going to test it out. Slowly, she slid down the wall
and rested her head on her hand. Drifting off in to dreamland, where
she could escape the strings and the fear.
–
By the time Avyn had
gotten off the transport, Kovete was long gone. Vaguely, she wondered
if the girl had been there at all. After stretching and cracking her
fingers, Avyn set about looking at her map. Locating the small red
dot on it wasn't that hard, Geo Madiz was living relatively close to
the spaceport so that made it only a short walk, a few wrong turns,
and one tram ride to get to the enormous tower labeled, in fantastic
glowing letters and font:
Madiz
Tower
Well, the man
certainly had an ego, that was for sure. Shaking her head, Avyn made
her way in to the building, smooth-talking her way past the doorman
and in to the elevator. Ironically, the music of choice within said
elevator happened to be the same slow, meandering tune they'd been
playing when she'd been threatened in to all this. It made her sick
to her stomach, and she had to swallow hard to keep herself from
regurgitating her food. She couldn't do this....It wasn't part of
her. That kind of skill just wasn't there.....was it? Avyn found
herself repeating her employer's words in her head. “Ruthless
precision, a fine figure, cleverness.......You could be quite the
mankiller.....” Frustratedly she shook those thoughts away. Avyn
was -not- a murderer, and she wasn't about to start thinking of
herself as one. Despite all her skills in subtlety, persuasion and
conning, killing just wasn't on the list. The elevator dinged loudly
when it reached the top floor, where her target was said to be. As
Avyn stepped out on to the floor, though, she was assaulted by the
most beautiful sound she had ever heard. It was like a river, but as
warm as a bath--and filled with joyously leaping dolphins who played
just as readily in Avyn's heart and soul as in any ocean or river. It
almost hurt Avyn to keep walking through the big atrium-like room
that served as the living space. She just wanted to lay there on one
of the many cushy-looking sofas and absorb the music in to her very
being, but as she drifted toward one of said refuges, the bracelet on
her wrist pricked her and began to beep. Jolted back to reality, Avyn
made her way to the spiral ramp that lead to the second, loft-like
floor that overlooked the one below. The sight that was laid before
her at the top of the ramp, however, stopped both her feet and her
heart.
There, sitting in a
bed that looked like a cloud, surrounded by boxes that appeared to be
gifts, and a tray of empty food before him, lay a man. He was only
about 20-something and in his pajamas. White-blond hair was receding
and his breaths were labored, as if he were sleeping. The sound was
being emitted from two large speakers situated by the headpiece of
his cloud-bed, and it was strikingly loud up close. And yet the same
lethargic feeling came over Avyn as she watched the man's slow
breathing. As Avyn moved closer to him, she noticed the various wires
that lead to a headpiece that was masterfully crafted so that it sat
on his head like a crown. There were also droids that were shut off,
appearing to sleep along with him, all huddled together on the side
of the bed opposite her like street urchins in an alleyway corner,
holding each other for warmth. He seemed so tranquil, lying there,
that it took all of Avyn's willpower to draw the knife. It had a
casing around the handle that looked similar to the one on the
sleeping man's headpiece, but Avyn hardly noticed. Slowly, she
brought the knife over his neck, pointing it downward and gripping it
with both hands. She was about to kill someone in cold blood, while
he was sleeping, no less. And all to save her own life. The
realization hit Avyn like a wave of freezing water and she faltered,
nearly dropping the knife. Regaining her grip and holding it tight,
as if she was afraid she was going to drop it due to her
uncontrollable shaking, she swallowed hard and brought the knife down
with all the force she could muster. The sound of the blade
connecting with his flesh was a very meaty thump.
Avyn choked, staring, frozen in horror as blood began to spurt out of
the wound. It soaked the bed around him, as well as her entire front
half, within seconds. The song-like noise ended abruptly, with a
sound that was like a mix between a skipping record and a scream cut
short. There was a long moment of silence before Avyn opened her
eyes, and she choked at what she saw.
The
man's eyes were open. And they were looking directly at her.
His
eyes were wide and he looked shocked. His gaze was screaming at her
as his face was covered with his own blood, and it asked desperately
“Why?” Avyn felt
bile rising in her throat and let go of the blade, turning and
rushing toward the nearest window before violently evicting the
contents of her stomach out over the city below. Vaguely, she felt
bad for whoever it landed on or near, but that thought was quickly
chased away by the curious sight of a bird that had just alighted on
the windowsill where Avyn wasn't leaning. Except, it wasn't really a
bird. It was more like an electronic mockery of a bird covered in
metal plating that was akin to scales. Wiping her mouth- though that
only served to cover the back of her hand in sick and in turn, her
mouth with more blood -she moved a hand toward the strange metallic
bird. It tilted its head as she got closer, shifting its weight from
claw to claw. Avyn stared at it, completely bewildered at the sight
of it. Her tired brain had gone in to shock, temporarily keeping her
from dry heaving out the window further. Suddenly, the bird opened
its beak and began to emit an eerie shriek. The sound caused Avyn to
jerk slightly, knocking the bird off the windowsill and in to the
room. It fluttered shakily to the floor, still emitting the strange
shriek. Avyn leaned down toward it, stuttering. “Wh-I...I-I'm
sorry, I d-didn't mean-” The bird cut her off by making its call so
loud that it made her ears feel like they were going to bleed. If
he keeps this up, I'll be discovered for sure!
Avyn realized. In a panic, Avyn kicked the bird across the room and
it slammed against the wall next to the man's bed, but it still kept
up the sound. When that didn't work, she ran over to it and picked it
up by its metal neck. Rushing over to the dead man in the bed, she
pulled the knife from his neck, trying to ignore the squelching sound
it made as it left the vicinity of his throat. Bending the bird's
neck so that she could get under the metal plating, and holding up
the knife, Avyn took several deep breaths, then stabbed.
The
sound became disjointed and the bird's neck sparked, causing her to
fumble with the handle of the knife. Quickly reasserting her grip,
she stabbed it further in until it hit the edge of the metal plating
covering the other side of its neck. One final, almost defiant spark
later, the bird stopped making the noise. Breathing a sigh of relief,
Avyn looked around for somewhere to put it. She spotted the four
droids sitting in the corner and rushed around the bed to them,
tossing the bird haphazardly among them. Whirling on her heel, she
took in the loft area again, her heart beating a mile a minute.
Across a small bridge directly ahead of her she spotted a kind of
helipad-shaped piece of metal jutting out from the tower, and upon it
sat a sleek, silver hovercar. Avyn dashed across the bridge and
slammed her hand down on the button that opened the door, leaving a
bloody smudge behind as she slipped through when it opened enough for
her to fit. She hoped with all her might that the door would be
unlocked, and to her amazement, it was. Avyn leapt in to the driver's
seat and looked around for how to turn it on. Right next to the
steering wheel on the dashboard was a finger-shaped hole. Avyn
experimentally stuck her pinkie finger in the hole and watched as her
finger glowed a soft blue color as the car analyzed the man's blood.
“Greetings, master!” Avyn jumped, yanking her hand away from the
DNA lock and inadvertently hitting the horn with her other hand as
the car spoke through the surround sound speakers. “I apologize if
I scared you mas- Hang on...you don't look like my master.....” The
car said. Avyn's heart leapt in to her throat. “I-I...I-I'm
f-friend! Y-yes, a friend of your master.” She stammered, gripping
the steering wheel at four and eight and trying to ignore the blood
that made it slippery. The car was silent for a beat, as if weighing
her words in its code. Avyn inhaled sharply, holding her breath as
she waited for it to lock the doors and call the
authorities.“Alright! Where would you like to go,
friend-of-my-master?” It said, sounding quite chipper. She let out
her breath in a relieved, ludicrous giggle. “Ah...Uh....Just, let
me drive, okay? Can you like....start yourself?” It hurt her to
realize that she probably sounded like the most idiotic hovercar
driver ever, but the car appeared not to notice. “Sure thing,
friend-of-my-master! Starting up, and letting you lead the way!”
The car said, a soft click following as it shut its voice off. A few
moments later, the soft hum of the engine came to life and the car
left the metal ground of the landing pad. With one last look inside
at the dead man, Avyn hit the gas and sent the hovercar careening
forward, intending to get as far away from here as she possibly
could, and to never set foot on Andaylia again.
The
End
